Fried snack pieces and process for preparing

ABSTRACT

A process for preparing reduced fat shaped snack products having a light, crispy, crunchy texture is disclosed. A dough is formed: 
     (1) from about 50% to about 70% of a source of starch based flour; 
     (2) at least about 3% hydrolyzed starch having a DE of from about 5 to about 30; 
     (3) from about 0.5% to about 6% a fatty acid polyglycerol ester emulsifier having a saponification value of between 80 and about 135, and a hydroxyl value between 300 and 575, wherein the fatty acids of said ester comprises palmitic and stearic acid and wherein the polyglycerol ester is at least 40% monoester; 
     (4) from about 20% to about 40% added water, and 
     (5) from about 1% to about 6% polyol fatty acid polyester. 
     This dough is formed into sheets from which snack pieces are cut. The snack pieces are fried to provide a snack having 20% to 38% nondigestible fat and less than 0.5 gm/30 gm serving of digestible fat.

This is a continuation of application Ser. No. 08/644,767, filed May 10,1996, now abandoned.

TECHNICAL FIELD

This application relates to an improved fried snack product which islower in fat than other fried snacks made from doughs and fried innondigestible fats. In particular, this application relates to a processfor preparing such products from a dough containing hydrolyzed starches,e.g. maltodextrizin or corn syrup solids (D. E. of 5 to 30) andrelatively low levels of water, and a polyglycerol ester emulsifierdissolved in a polyol fatty acid polyester.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

A wide variety of starch and protein-based snack food products arepresently available to the consumer. Many of these products are in theform of chips, strips, and extruded tubular pieces. Some of theseproducts are expanded or puffed and contain a cellular or honeycombedinternal structure. In addition, most of the present-day snack productscontain a fairly high level of fat, either in the form of separatelyadded ingredients, such as cheese, or in the form of fats imparted tothe product during cooking, as in the case of corn or potato chips. Fatimproves the flavor and palatability of these products. However, it alsoincreases the caloric value of the product. Even chips and snacks friedin non-digestible fats such as olestra, contain some fat in the form ofemulsifiers or oils or fats naturally present in the grains used to makethe product.

Accordingly, it would be desirable to provide reduced fat snack productswhich have an attractive appearance, texture and taste and which containless than 0.5 gm of fat per 30 gram servings. Such products areessentially fat free.

There have been several attempts at lowering the fat content of potatochips and of potato snacks made from doughs. One method involved coatingchips with an aqueous dispersion of a high amylose starch. This is saidto produce a potato chip with minimal oil pick-up and low variation inthe amount of oil absorbed. (see RE 27,531 of U.S. Pat. No. 3,597,227issued to Muray, et al., 1971). Coating of breaded or batter foodproducts with a film forming agent such as gelatin or starches is alsosaid to lower oil absorption by the foods when they are fried (U.S. Pat.No. 4,511,583 issued to Olson, et at, 1985). U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,884issued to Young et al, describes reduced caloric potato chips which aremade with nondigestible fats, in particular with polyol fatty acidpolyesters. U.S. Pat. No. 5,464,643 (issued to Lodge, 1995) describesthe use of hydrolyzed starches as part of the dough to provide snackswith a lower fat content. However, when making fabricated snacks, i.e.,those made from doughs, other considerations arise. For example, thedough has to be sheeted or extruded. Emulsifiers are a key processingaid in preparing a dough which can be easily extruded or sheeted. Notall emulsifiers will function in the doughs to give both sheetabilityand good texture to the products.

Moreover, since the solids content, degree of hydrolysis and the watercontent of the dough also affect the browning and the texture of theproduct, a way to control these parameters is also needed.

It is therefore an object of this invention to make a fried snackcontaining a nondigestible oil which is lower in digestible fat content(between about 0.1 to about 0.5 gm/30 gram serving) and which has thesame lubricity and texture as a snack with a higher fat content.

It is a further object of this invention to make a fried fabricatedsnacks which produce a uniform product in a controlled process.

DISCLOSURE OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to an improved reduced fat fried snackproduct and a process for it.

This process comprises the steps of:

(a) forming a sheetable dough comprising:

(1) from about 50% to about 70% of a source of starch based flour;

(2) at least about 3% hydrolyzed starches having a DE of from about 5 toabout 30;

(3) from about 0.5% to about 6% of a fatty acid polyglycerol esteremulsifier having a saponification value of between 80 and about 135, ahydroxyl value between 300 and 575, and wherein said fatty acidscomprise mostly palmitic and stearic acid and wherein the ratio ofpalmitic to stearic acid is from about 2:1 to about 5:1, and wherein thepolyglycerol ester is at least 40% monoester;

(4) from about 20% to about 40% added water; and

(5) from about 1% to about 5% polyol fatty acid polyester;

(b) forming the dough into a sheet,

(c) cutting snack pieces from the sheet; and

(d) frying said snack pieces in a nondigestible fat.

Tie snack pieces are fried at a temperature sufficient to form snackproducts having a light, crispy, crunchy texture, improved flavor and anondigestible fat content of from about 20% to about 38% and betweenabout 0.1 to about 0.50 gm of fat per 30 gram serving contributed by theemulsifier.

A particularly important aspect of the process of the present inventionis the inclusion of the polyol polyester in the dough with thepolyglycerol emulsifier. The polyol polyester contributes to thesheetability of the dough and the improved dough handlingcharacteristics. The formulation provides for lower water level doughswhich lead to fried snack products that contain less fat thancorresponding doughs made with higher water levels. In addition, theinclusion of hydrolyzed starches in the product improves the flavor ofthe snack. It is believed that adding reducing sugars with thehydrolyzed starches enhances flavor formation during frying.

All percentages and proportions are "by weight" unless otherwisespecified.

A. Dough Formation

A particularly important aspect of the process of the present inventionis the dough. This dough is formed from a combination of starch basedflour, water, hydrolyzed starches, a polyglycerol emulsifier, a polyolfatty acid polyester, as well as other optional ingredients to bedescribed hereinafter. The composition of this dough has two significanteffects. One relates to the ability to process the dough into a sheetfrom which snack pieces of predetermined shape and size are subsequentlyformed. The dough pieces are then fried to form thin, crisp, shapedsnack products. The other effect of the dough composition relates to thetextural and flavor features of the resulting fried snack product. Snackproducts prepared according to the process of the present invention havea relatively light, crunchy texture.

As used herein, the term "crunchy texture" refers to a snack thatexhibits a crisp and crunching sensation for the first of several chews.

An important component of this dough is a starch based flour. The doughcomprises, by weight, from about 50% to about 70%, preferably from about55% to about 65%, starch based flour. Potato flour is the most preferredsource of starch based flour. Suitable sources of potato flour include,dehydrated potato flakes and granules, mashed potato materials, anddried potato products. Other tuber and grain flours such as tapioca,peanut, wheat, oat, rice, corn meal, corn flour and soy meal can be usedin the dough. These starch based flours can be blended to make snacks ofdifferent composition and flavor. Suitable starches can be used incombination with the potato flour. Examples of such materials are potatostarch, tapioca starch, cornstarch, oat starch, rice starch and wheatstarch. Most preferably these starches are cooked so the starch hasgelatinized and then are dried and milled to make a flour. Thesestarches are called pregelatinized starches. For example, potato flouris at least 90% pregelatinized starch. Preferred flours contain at least80% pregelatinized starch. Potato flakes generally contain morepregelatinized starch than potato granules. A preferred combination is80:20 to 95:5 potato flakes to potato granules. It is understood thatother sources of pregelatinized starches other than potato flakes andgranules can be used.

The Water Absorption Index (WAI) of the carbohydrate component isimportant for controlling the flake hydration. Preferably the potatoflake material which is used as the predominant potato ingredient has aWAI of between 7 and 9 and that of the other starch ingredient has a WAIof between 2 and 6.

As used herein, the term "hydrolyzed starches" refers tooligosaccharide-type materials that are typically obtained by acid orenzymatic hydrolysis of starches, preferably corn starch. Suitablehydrolyzed starches for inclusion in the dough include maltodextrins andcorn syrup solids. The hydrolyzed starches for inclusion in the doughhave Dextrose Equivalent (I. E.) values of from about 5 to about 30,preferably from about 10 to about 20. Maltrin™ MO050, M100, M150, M180,M200, and M250 (available from Grain Processing Corporation, Iowa) arepreferred maltodextrins. The D. E. value is a measure of the reducingequivalence of the hydrolyzed starch referenced to dextrose andexpressed as a percent (on a dry basis). The higher the D. E. value, themore reducing sugars are present.

Hydrolyzed starches are included in the dough in an amount of at leastabout 3%, with a usual range of from about 3% to about 15%. Preferably,hydrolyzed starches are included in an amount of from about 5% to about12%.

Hydrolyzed starches are a key ingredient for the processability of thedoughs of the present invention which have relatively low water levels.In the absence of hydrolyzed starches, low moisture levels in the doughcan prevent formation of a continuous, smooth extensible dough sheet andcan hinder subsequent expansion of the dough pieces during frying, evenif the dough can be sheeted. It also affects the elasticity of thedough. In addition, low moisture doughs tend to produce a harder andmore brittle texture in the resulting snack products.

As previously alluded to, another important characteristic of the doughof the present invention is its water content. As used herein, the term"added" refers to water which has been added to the dry doughingredients. Water which is inherently present in the dry doughingredients, such as in the case of the sources of flour and starches,is not included in the added water. The level of water in flours andstarches is usually from about 3% to about 8%. However, if themaltodextrin or corn syrup solids are added as a solution or syrup, thewater in this syrup or solution must be accounted for as "added water".

The doughs of the present invention can comprise from about 20% to about40% added water. Preferably, these doughs comprise from about 23% toabout 35% added water. This low level of water in the dough along withthe addition of hydrolyzed starches provides doughs which can formcohesive sheets. In addition, the low moisture level of the doughs ofthe present invention are important in reducing the oil content of thefinal fried snack pieces.

Polyglycerol emulsifiers are added to the dough as a blend with thenon-digestible fat. Alternatively, the emulsifier can be incorporatedinto the potato flake. The amount of emulsifier in the dough is fromabout 0.5% to about 6% by weight, preferably from about 1.0% to about3%, and most preferably from about 1.5% to about 2.5%. Emulsifiers areused as a sheeting aid to avoid overworked sticky doughs and to reducepuffing and blistering in the fried product. Lower moisture doughs, whenfried, typically yield harder snack products. To make products withtextures similar to those made from higher moisture doughs, the level ofemulsifier is typically reduced.

Preferred polyglycerol emulsifiers are monoesters of polyglycerols,preferably hexapolyglycerols. The average number of glycerol units isnot an exact number. It should be understood that a hexapolyglycerolwill contain some tri-, tetra-, penta-, hepta- and octapolyglycerolunits. The preferred polyglycerol fatty acid monoesters can becharacterized by the average hydroxyl value (number of free orunesterified hydroxy groups), the saponification value which measuresthe number of ester groups the percent monoester, the palmitic tostearic acid ratio, the onset of crystallization temperature, and thecomplete melting point.

The polyglycerol esters can be defined as having a complete melt pointof between about 121° F. (49° C.) and about 147° F. (64° C.) preferablybetween about 121° F. (49° C.) (55° C.); an onset of crystallizationtemperature of between about 1 10° F. (43° C.) and about 120° F. (49°C.); preferably between about 114° F. (46° C.) and about 118° F. (48°C.); a saponification value of between about 80 and about 135,preferably between about 95 and about 135; a hydroxy value of betweenabout 300 and about 575; preferably between about 400 and about 475; anda palmitic to stearic acid ratio of between 2:1 and 5:1. The percentmonoester is at least 40% and preferably between 45% and 55%.

In addition to the stearic and palmitic fatty acids, unsaturated fattyacids having from 14 to 20 carbon atoms can be present as can saturatedfatty acids having 16 to 22 carbon atoms. The fatty acid ester group ismostly a mixture of stearic and palmitic acids (about 75% or more).

Other emulsifiers can be added to the dough in conjunction with thepolyglycerol esters. Then include mono- and diglycerides, diaceityltartaric acid esters and propylene glycol mono- and diesters.

The emulsifier is added to the dough system prior to sheeting as aprocessing aid to prevent sticking of the dough to the sheeting millrolls and to impart extensibility to the sheet to prevent the sheet fromtearing. The emulsifier is dissolved in a polyol fatty acid polyester,preferably a sucrose fatty acid ester such as olestra. The emulsifiercomprises from about 10% to about 50% of the fat composition which isadded. Preferably the composition contains from 20% to about 30%emulsifier and from about 70% to 80% sucrose fatty acid polyester. Thesucrose polyester is an important part of the emulsifier fat compositionthat is used in the dough. The dough comprises, by weight, from about 1%to about 6%, preferably from about 1% to about 5%, more preferably fromabout 1% to about 4%, polyol fatty acid polyester.

Salt, flavorings, flavor potentiators, and/or seasonings can also beoptionally included in the dough or sprinkled on the surface of thesnack after frying. It has been found that the addition of sucrose andsalt at levels of about 0.5 to about 1.5% of the dough will improve thedough rheology and finished snack texture as well as the flavor.

The dough of the present invention can be prepared by any suitablemethod for combining the previously described ingredients. Typically, aloose, dry dough is prepared by thoroughly mixing together the floursand/ or starches and emulsifier and sucrose polyester combination. Awater preblend of flavoring (optional), hydrolyzed starches, sucroseand/or salt are separately mixed to obtain the previously definedhydrolyzed starch and water levels. The water preblend is then added tothe flour and emulsifier blend. Preferred devices for mixing togetherthese dough ingredients are conventional mixers. Hobart™. mixers areused for batch operations and Turbolizer™ mixers can be used forcontinuous mixing operations. However, extruders can also be used to mixthe dough and to form the sheets or shaped pieces.

The emulsifier works via several mechanisms. The first is as a coatingof the flour in the mixer just prior to the addition of the water. Thislimits the moisture absorption of the flour producing a "short" dough.If this order of addition is not followed, the increased starch waterbonding is undesirable, generating a well hydrated, highly elastic doughthat is difficult to mill into a sheet.

The second function of the emulsifier is to create a dispersion of fatand moisture droplets through the dough. This dispersion serves tolubricate the dough surface and to limit water droplet coalescence thatcould over hydrate the flour component and cause localized overexpansion of the fried product. Both of these mechanism tend to limitthe adhesiveness of the starch contained in the flour, preventingpermanent adhesion to the sheeting rolls.

The capability of the emulsifier to mix thoroughly with the otheringredients and to readily disperse throughout the dough during mixingand milling are very important. It was found that certain chemical andphysical properties correlate to the successful use of emulsifiers andanti-sticking, sheeting and processing aids. These properties aredefined above. The use of the sucrose polyester with the emulsifier isimportant in developing this dispersion of the emulsifier throughout thedough.

B. Sheeting, Snack Piece Formation and Frying

Once prepared, the dough is then formed into a relatively flat, thinsheet. Any method suitable for forming such sheets from starch baseddoughs can be used. For example, the sheet can be rolled out between twocounter rotating cylindrical rollers to obtain a uniform, relativelythin sheet of dough material. Any conventional sheeting, milling andgauging equipment can be used. It has been found however, that the millrolls should be heated to about 90° F. (32° C.) to about 135° F. (57°C.) to keep the emulsifier/sucrose polyester blend from congealing onthe roll mills. In a preferred embodiment, the mill rolls are kept attwo different temperatures, with the front roller being cooler than theback roller.

Doughs of the present invention are usually formed into a sheet having athickness of from about 0.015 to about 0.10 inches (from about 0.038 toabout 0.25 cm), and preferably to a thickness of from about 0.05 toabout 0.10 inches (from about 0.013 to about 0.025 cm), and mostpreferably from about 0.065 in to about 0.08 in (1.65 to 2.03 mm). Forrippled chips the most preferred thickness is about 0.75 in or 1.9 mm.The dough sheet is then formed into snack pieces of a predetermined sizeand shape. These snack pieces can be formed using any suitable stampingor cutting equipment. The snack pieces can be formed into a variety ofshapes. For example, the snack pieces can be in the shape of ovals,squares, circles, a bowtie, a star wheel, or a pin wheel. The pieces canbe scored to make rippled chips as described in WO 95/07610, Dawes etal., Jan. 25, 1996.

The snack pieces are fried. Preferably the snacks are prepared by acontinuous frying method and are constrained during frying. An apparatusas described in U.S. Pat. No. 3,626,466 (Liepa, 1971) can be used. Thedough pieces are cut from the sheet, shaped using a movable, aperturedmold half to shape the cut dough pieces and then held during subsequentfrying by a second apertured mold half. A reservoir containing a fryingmedium is used. The shaped, constrained pieces are passed through thefrying medium until they are fried to a crisp state with a finalmoisture content of about 0.5% to about 4% water.

Continuous frying or batch frying of the snack pieces in anon-constrained mode is also acceptable. In this method the pieces areimmersed in the oil on a moving belt or basket.

If desired, the snack pieces can be fried to moisture contents of 10% orless and then heated with hot air, superheated steam or inert gas tolower the moisture level to 4% or less. This is a combined frying/bakingstep.

The frying medium comprises nondigestible fats and oils. The terms "fat"and "oil" are used interchangeably unless otherwise specified. The terms"fat" or "oil" also refer 100% non-toxic fatty materials havingproperties similar to triglycerides. The terms "fat" or "oil" in generalinclude fat-substitutes, which materials may be partially or fullynondigestible.

The term "non-digestible fat" refers to those edible fatty materialsthat are partially or totally nondigestible, e.g., polyol fatty acidpolyesters, such as olestra.

The preferred fat substitute are fatty materials having propertiessimilar to triglycerides such as sucrose polyesters. OLEAN,™ a preferredfat substitute, is made by The Procter and Gamble Company. Thesepreferred nondigestible fat or oil substitute compositions are describedin Young; et al., U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,884, issued Feb. 4, 1992, and U.S.Pat. No. 5,422,131, issued Jun. 6, 1995 to Elsen et al.

By "polyol" is meant a polyhydric alcohol containing at least 4,preferably from 4 to 11 hydroxyl groups. Polyols include sugars (i.e.,monosaccharides, disaccharides, and trisaccharides), sugar alcohols,other sugar derivatives (i.e., alkyl glucosides), polyglycerols such asdiglycerol and triglycerol, pentaerythritol, sugar ethers such assorbitan and polyvinyl alcohols. Specific examples of suitable sugars,sugar alcohols and sugar derivatives include xylose, arabinose, ribose,xylitol, erythritol, glucose, methyl glucoside, mannose, galactose,fructose, sorbitol, maltose, lactose, sucrose, raffinose, andmaltotriose.

By "polyol fatty acid polyester" is meant a polyol having at least 4fatty acid ester groups. Polyol fatty acid esters that contain 3 or lessfatty acid ester groups are generally digested in, and the products ofdigestion are absorbed from, the intestinal tract much in the manner ofordinary triglyceride fats or oils, whereas those polyol fatty acidesters containing 4 or more fatty acid ester groups are substantiallynon-digestible and consequently non-absorbable by the human body. It isnot necessary that all of the hydroxyl groups of the polyol beesterified, but it is preferable that disaccharide molecules contain nomore than 3 unesterified hydroxyl groups for the purpose of beingnon-digestible. Typically, substantially all, e.g., at least about 85%,of the hydroxyl groups of the polyol are esterified. In the case ofsucrose polyesters, typically from about 7 to 8 of the hydroxyl groupsof the polyol are esterified.

The polyol fatty acid esters typically contain fatty acid radicalstypically having at least 4 carbon atoms and up to 26 carbon atoms.These fatty acid radicals can be derived from naturally occurring orsynthetic fatty acids. The fatty acid radicals can be saturated orunsaturated, including positional or geometric isomers, e.g., cis- ortrans- isomers, and can be the same for all ester groups, or can bemixtures of different fatty acids.

Liquid non-digestible oils have a complete melting point below about 37°C. include liquid polyol fatty acid polyesters (see Jandacek; U.S. Pat.No. 4,005,195; Issued Jan. 25, 1977); liquid esters of tricarballylicacids (see Hamm; U.S. Pat. No. 4,508,746; Issued Apr. 2, 1985); liquiddiesters of dicarboxylic acids such as derivatives of malonic andsuccinic acid (see Fulcher, U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,927; Issued Apr. 15,1986); liquid triglycerides of alphabranched chain carboxylic acids (seeWhyte; U.S. Pat. No. 3,579,548; Issued May 18, 1971); liquid ethers andether esters containing the neopentyl moiety (see Minich; U.S. Pat. No.2,962,419; Issued Nov. 29, 1960); liquid fatty polyethers ofpolyglycerol (See Hunter et al; U.S. Pat. No. 3,932,532; Issued Jan. 13,1976); liquid alkyl glycoside fatty acid polyesters (see Meyer et al;U.S. Pat. No. 4,840,815; Issued Jun. 20, 1989); liquid polyesters of twoether linked hydroxypolycarboxylic acids (e.g., citric or isocitricacid) (see Huhn et al; U.S. Pat. No. 4,888,195; Issued Dec. 19, 1988);liquid esters of epoxide-extended polyols (see White et al; U.S. Pat.No. 4,861,613; Issued Aug. 29, 1989); liquid polydimethyl siloxanes(e.g., Fluid Silicones available from Dow Corning). Solid non-digestiblefats or other solid materials can be added to the liquid non-digestibleoils to prevent passive oil loss. Particularly preferred non-digestiblefat compositions include those described in U.S. Pat. No. 5,490,995issued to Corrigan, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,480,667 issued to Corrigan etal, 1996, U.S. Pat. No. 5,451,416 issued to Johnston et al, 1995 andU.S. Pat. No. 5,422,131 issued to Elsen et al, 1995. U.S. Pat. No.5,419,925 issued to Seiden et al, 1995 describes mixtures of reducedcalorie triglycerides and polyol polyesters that can be used herein.However the latter composition may provide more digestible fat.

Other ingredients known in the art may also be added to the edible fatsand oils, including antioxidants such as TBHQ, chelating agents such ascitric acid, and anti-foaming agents such as dimethylpolysiloxane.

The snack pieces are fried at temperatures between about 300° F. (148°C.) and about 450° F. (232° C.). The exact fry time is controlled by thetemperature of the oil and the starting water content. The fry time andtemperature is easily determined by one skilled in the art.

The snack products made from this process typically have from about 20%to about 38% nondigestible fat. Preferably, the fried snacks will havefrom about 23% to about 32% fat content. If a higher fat level isdesired in the snack product to further improve the lubricity of thesnack, oil can be sprayed onto the snack product when it emerges fromthe fryer, or when it is removed from the mold used in constrainedfrying. These include low calorie and nonabsorbable fats such as sucrosepolyesters. Preferably the oils for spraying will have an iodine valuegreater than 75, and most preferably above 90. Oils with characteristicflavors or highly unsaturated oils can be sprayed on the snack product.Oils with added flavors can be used. These include butter flavored oils,natural or artificial flavored oils, herb oils and oils with garlic oronion flavors added. This is a way to introduce a variety of flavorswithout having the flavor undergo browning reactions during the frying.It also avoids adding the flavor to the dough and having the flavorreact with or leach into the oil during the frying process. This methodcan be used to introduce healthier oils which would ordinarily undergopolymerization or oxidation during the heating necessary to fry thesnacks.

Oil spray can be used to increase the oil content from the 20% to 38%fat content as the snack product emerges from the fryer to as high as44% oil. Thus a snack product having from 30% to 44% can be made usingthis additional step.

ANALYTICAL METHODS

The hydroxyl value is determined by AOCS (American Oil Chemists Society)Method Cd 13-60 revised in 1989.

The Saponification Value is determined by AOCS method Cd 3-25 revised in1989.

Complete Melting Point is determined by the Differential Scanning Methoddescribed at column 22, lines 6-35 of U.S. Pat. No. 5,085,884 issued toYoung et al, Feb. 4, 1992, which method is incorporated herein byreference.

The onset of crystallization temperature is measured by DifferentialScanning Calorimetry by cooling a melted sample. The onset ofcrystallization is the temperature at which the exothermic peak firstbegins.

"Water Absorbance Index" and "WAI" refers to the measurement of thewater holding capacity of any carbohydrate based material as a result ofa cooking process. (See for example Anderson, R. A., Conway, H. F.,Pfeifer, V. F. and Griffin, Jr., E. L., 1969, Gelatinization of CornGrits By Roll- and Extrusion-Cooking. CEREAL SCIENCE TODAY; 14(1):4).This measurement is typically expressed as the ratio of mass of waterheld per unit mass of material. The WAI for a sample is determined bythe following procedure. The weight to two decimal places of an emptycentrifuge tube is determined. Two grams of dry sample (e.g., potatoflakes) are placed into the tube. Thirty mililiters of water is added tothe tube. The water and sample are stirred vigorously to insure no drylumps remain. The tube is placed in a 29° C. (85° F.) water bath for 30min., repeating the stirring procedure at 10 and 20 min. The tube isthen centrifuged for 15 min. at 3,000 RPM. The water is then decantedfrom the tube, leaving a gel behind. The tube and contents are weighed.The WAI is calculated by dividing the weight of the resulting gel by theweight of the dry sample (i.e., weight of tube and gel!- weight oftube!+ weight of dry flakes!).

EXAMPLE 1

A mix consisting of approximately 53.10% potato flakes, and 5.90% potatogranules is blended with a hexapolyglycerol monoester of palinitic andstearic acids available from Lonza as HGMP and OLEAN, available fromProcter & Gamble, Cincinnati, Ohio. The level of the emulsifier in thedough is 0.75% and that of the OLEAN is 2.25%. Water, 32.7%,Maltodextrin having a DE of 18 available from Grain Products Corporationand sucrose (0.4%) and salt (0.4%) are mixed with the flake andemulsifier blend to form a loose, dry dough in a continuous Turbolizer®mixer with a residence time of 15 to 60 seconds.

The dough is sheeted by continuously feeding the dough through a pair ofsheeting rolls forming an elastic continuous sheet without pin holes.Sheet thickness is controlled to 0.020 inches (0.05 cm). The front rollis heated to about 90° F. (32° C.) and the back roll is heated to about135° F. (57° C.). The dough sheet is then cut into oval shaped piecesand fried in a constrained frying mold at 385° F. (196° C.) in OLEAN todryness (about 12 seconds). The product is held in the molds for about20 seconds to allow the OLEAN to drain. The resulting product has acrisp, light texture with a nondigestible fat level of about 30% to 32%.The digestible fat level from the emulsifier is less than 0.25 gm/30 gmserving.

What is claimed is:
 1. A process comprising the steps of:(a) forming asheetable dough comprising, by weight;(1) from about 50% to about 70% ofa source of starch based flour; (2) at least about 3% hydrolyzedstarches having a DE of from about 5 to about 30; (3) from about 0.5% toabout 6% of a fatty acid polyglycerol ester emulsifier having asaponification value of between about 80 and about 135 and a hydroxylvalue of between about 300 and about 575, wherein said fatty acidpolyglycerol ester has fatty acid chains comprising palmitic acid andstearic acid, wherein the ratio of palmitic acid to stearic acid is fromabout 2:1 to about 5:1, and further wherein the polyglycerol ester is atleast 40% monoester; (4) from about 20% to about 40% added water; and(5) from about 1% to about 6% polyol fatty acid polyester wherein saidpolyol fatty acid polyester comprises at least at least four fatty acidester groups; (b) forming the dough into a sheet; (c) cutting snackpieces from the sheet; and (d) frying said snack pieces in anondigestible fat.
 2. The process of claim 1 wherein the dough is formedinto a sheet having a thickness of from about 0.015 to about 0.035inches (from about 0.038 cm to about 0.088 cm).
 3. The process of claim2 wherein said hydrolyzed starch is selected from the group ofmaltodextrin and corn syrup solids.
 4. The process of claim 3 whereinsaid flour is potato flour selected from the group consisting of potatoflakes, potato granules and mixtures thereof.
 5. The process of claim 4wherein said dough contains from about 1.0% to about 3% of saidemulsifier.
 6. The process of claim 5 wherein the dough comprises atleast about 25% to 30% of said added water.
 7. The process of claim 6wherein the dough comprises from about 55% to about 65% of said flour.8. The process of claim 5 wherein the polyglycerol ester emulsifier hasa saponification value of between 95 and
 135. 9. A process according toclaim 8 wherein the polyglycerol ester has a hydroxyl value of fromabout 400 to about
 575. 10. The process of claim 1 wherein saidnon-digestible fat comprises a polyol polyester.
 11. The process ofclaim 10 wherein the step of cutting snack pieces from the sheetcomprises the step of cutting said dough into oval shaped dough pieces;and the step of frying said snack pieces comprises the step ofconstraining the oval shaped dough pieces during frying.
 12. A processaccording to claim 1 comprising the additional step of spraying fromabout 1% to about 20% oil on the fried snack pieces wherein said oil hasan iodine value of at least
 75. 13. A process according to claim 1wherein the step of forming the dough into a sheet comprises milling thedough between mill rolls which are heated to a temperature of from about90° F. to about 135° F.
 14. A process according to claim 1 wherein thepolyol fatty acid polyester in the dough comprises a sucrose fatty acidpolyester having at least four fatty acid ester groups.
 15. The snackpieces made by the process of claim
 1. 16. Fried snack pieces having, byweight, from about 0.5% to about 4% water and from about 20% to about38% nondigestible fat, made from dough consisting essentially of, byweight:(1) from about 50% to about 70% of a source of starch basedflour; (2) at least about 3% hydrolyzed starches having a DE of fromabout 5 to about 30; (3) from about 0.5% to about 6% of a fatty acidpolyglycerol ester emulsifier having a saponification value of betweenabout 80 and about 135 and a hydroxyl value of between about 300 andabout 575, and wherein said fatty acid polyglycerol ester has fatty acidchains comprising palmitic acid and stearic acid, wherein the ratio ofpalmitic acid to stearic acid is from about 2:1 to about 5: 1, andfurther wherein the polyglycerol ester is at least 40% monoester; (4)from about 20% to about 40% added water; and (5) from about 1% to about4% polyol fatty acid polyester having at least four fatty acid estergroups.
 17. The snack pieces of claim 16 wherein said dough comprisesfrom about 1% to about 3% of said emulsifier.
 18. The snack pieces ofclaim 17, wherein said emulsifier has a saponification value of between95 to about
 135. 19. The snack pieces of claim 18 wherein said snack hasa non digestible fat content of from about 23% to about 32%.
 20. A doughcomprising, by weight:(1) from about 50% to about 70% of a source ofstarch based flour; (2) from about 3% to about 15% hydrolyzed starcheshaving a DE of from about 10 to about 20; (3) from about 1% to about 3%of a fatty acid polyglycerol ester having fatty acids comprisingpalmitic acid and stearic acid; (4) from about 23% to about 35% addedwater; and (5) from about 1% to about 6% polyol fatty acid polyesterhaving at least four fatty acid ester groups; wherein said polyglycerolester has a saponification value of from about 95 to about 135, ahydroxyl value of from about 400 to about 475, a complete melt point ofbetween about 121° F. and about 147° F., and a ratio of palmitic tostearic acid from about 2:1 to about 5: 1, and is at least 40%monoester.